Local SEO is to your Business; like Health and Fitness is to your Body
JC and Alisha Reyes
My awesome and extremely energetic friends above made me think of an analogy. I like analogies. This morning I woke up thinking that when you take the step towards a better you, you have to start with a goal. Be it lose “X” pounds, fit into old (smaller) clothes, or perform better at a sport. The next step is get rid of the junk. The bad food, the bad habits, toss it out. Next you have to track your progress so you know how to improve and MAKE A PLAN AND STICK TO IT!
And, just like a new local search marketing campaign, you’ll expect great results in 3 to 6 months. Also, just like local search marketing, if you form new good habits, they’ll improve the rest of your (business) life.
AND (this is the last one I promise) just like local search marketing, if you try some “get results in 3 days” program, it’s going to hurt you in the long run.
So, if you haven’t done so already, set some goals for your business
- Goal: Increase customers, phone calls, revenue, or just sell more of a particular product or service.
- Get rid of the junk: Stop paying for post card mailers if your website sucks.
- Track progress: Know where your leads are coming from. Ask them. Write it down.
- Take action: Grab an item from below that applies to your goal and DO IT.
Now on to This Week in Local SEO:
I’m sure you’re familiar with the more content you create the better. Quality content. If you’re into being active on social networks and open to learning some new tools, Kevan Lee at Buffer gives very helpful tips on how to do meaningful social media work in 30 minutes a day.
Action: Do you have reviews on Facebook, Google+, Yelp, or anywhere else online? Did you respond to them? Go check and see. Not only is it nice on the receiving end, it also affects your ranking in search engines. If they didn’t specifically mention the service you provided, then you should in your reply.
This article I’m about to share with you will give you a day’s worth of work. So go ahead and clear your calendar and turn off your phone. I’m just kidding, who has time for that? Read it later and grab my action tip.
Mike Blumenthal shared 8 tips on Localu.org about optimizing your local knowledge panel.
Action: There’s actually 2 major things I want to point out with this screenshot below. “See inside” and “Are you the business owner?”. The first is Google’s street view technology applied to the inside of your business. If you have a business that people visit, they can see how awesome your office is from their home computer and decide to come see you over competitors. I’m offering a deep discount on this service right now.
If your local knowledge panel in search results says “Are you the business owner?” at the bottom, than you haven’t claimed your listing yet, and you’re doing yourself a great disservice. Contact me for help if you need to.
Google your business name now and see what shows up for you.
La Belle Hair Salon and Day Spa
This next and last topic is a two’fer (or however you’d spell that). Zachary Palmer from Divot Agency in Seattle shared an interesting topic in the Local Search Pros community: business pin placements in odd places… like the middle of lakes.
Why does this occur? When you claim your business listing, and select multiple areas like zip codes, you may end up in the complex middle of those coordinates.
With a major update to Google Maps this week, it’s clear it’s going to get more and more emphasis on its usage, like making reservations directly through the app.
Action: If you’re a service area business, search your business name in Google Maps and make sure you’re not out in the bay somewhere…
St Petersburg Easy Dumpster Rental
That’s it for this week. As always, shoot me an email and tell me what you need help with.
I’ll help you train your Google fighting power in your sleep like my son Avery:
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